As communications technologies develop, there are some interim technologies or protocols between some protocols and next-generation protocols, for example, an interim technology between Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and a next-generation Internet Protocol (IPv6). Existing interim technologies are applied in various scenarios, and optimized solutions constantly emerge.
The inventor finds that when dealing with these interim technologies and problems that the interim technologies are applied in many scenarios and that optimized solutions constantly emerge, an existing device needs to use data models and entries of different structures to support different technologies or protocols, that is, establish corresponding data models or entries according to different technologies or protocols. Sometimes even in a same technology or protocol, different data models or entries also need to be established to support different application scenarios. In this way, when receiving information such as parameters sent by using different protocols, the device can identify and execute indicated commands. Therefore, product development and maintenance based on an existing device architecture are difficult. For example, when device A sends, to device B, an operation request that requests device B to perform an operation on to-be-processed packets that arrive at device B, because the to-be-processed packets may belong to different protocols or need to be processed by using different mechanisms, device A, that is, a device sending the operation request, needs to have a capability of sending multiple types of operation requests to support different protocols. As a result, deployment of device A is relatively complex.